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How long should sheets last?

(48 Posts)
NudeJude Tue 27-Oct-15 08:39:01

Hi there

I'm canvassing opinion on how long you would expect a linen sheet to last. I purchased one 15 months ago, and it has worn so thin where your feet go that it's gone into a hole already, do you think this is acceptable wear? I should perhaps say that it's on for a week and off for a week so only been used effectively for half that 15 months.

tanith Tue 27-Oct-15 08:41:46

I would expect a good quality sheet to last longer than that but much depends on the quality.

hildajenniJ Tue 27-Oct-15 08:42:29

Don't you rotate your sheets, I do. I have some cotton sheets still in use after 23 years, they are a bit thinner than they used to be, but still usable.

tiggypiro Tue 27-Oct-15 08:55:50

If it really is a linen sheet I would expect it to last almost for ever !!

whitewave Tue 27-Oct-15 09:10:00

Yes the higher the thread count the better the quality and the longer they will last. At 15 months mine would still be considered new! I have 3 sets which I change weekly and they seem to last for ever.

NudeJude Tue 27-Oct-15 09:21:44

hildajenniJ

Yes, I do rotate, hence one week on the bed and one week off.

tiggypiro

Yep, definitely 100% linen from a company called Soak & Sleep. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out and give your opinion as to how long you would expect it to last

www.soakandsleep.com/100-pure-french-bed-linen.html

Sorry couldn't make the link work, so just copy and paste to see the page

annsixty Tue 27-Oct-15 09:39:37

I have cotton and polyester sheets,only used in dire emergency, from the defunct Brentford Nylons which are over 40 years old and will never wear out. Cotton from JL are now not as good as when new which is probably 10 years. I have never bought pure linen but have good Egyptian cotton from Dunelm which are very good, I think they are Dorma.I would certainly be complaining about going into holes.

M0nica Tue 27-Oct-15 09:40:44

A linen sheet should last decades. Linen is a high quality fabric and the reason it has always been seen as a quality product to be preferred to cotton was because of its hard wearing durability.

Over the last 5 years DD has been buying vintage linen sheets on visits to France to replace her poly cotton sheets. The sheets she is buying are 50 years old or more and have few signs of wear. She has used them for up to 5 years and they still show no signs of wear.

I went to the website. I found the blurb on their website about the provenance and quality of their sheets so saccharin I had a a sugar rush (sorry about the mixed metaphore). I would complain long and loud. I have got pol cotton sheets that have been in use for years without showing signs of wear.

jinglbellsfrocks Tue 27-Oct-15 09:50:00

Eurgh! 50 year old sheets?

People who buy linen must have had their colour gene removed.

jinglbellsfrocks Tue 27-Oct-15 09:51:04

Marks and Sparks coptton sheets are lovely. Feel all silky.

M0nica Tue 27-Oct-15 10:19:13

What is wrong with 50 year old sheets? They are beautifully white and thick and smooth, the linen makes them cool in summer and warm in winter. Some of the pillow cases are beautfully embroidered.

stillhere Tue 27-Oct-15 11:14:25

I agree, I have some beautiful 35 year old sheets and pillowcases bought as a wedding present. I only use them in the summer, I do like coloured ones in the winter, but I dyed one set shocking pink years ago. They are certainly a lot softer and thinner than when new, but show no sign of wearing through - unlike the cheap pure cotton ones I bought for DS only two years ago, he has gone straight through them all down the centre.

hildajenniJ Tue 27-Oct-15 11:24:26

NudeJude I meant, do you put bottom to top after laundering. I understood that you alternate them weekly, as I do with mine.

feetlebaum Tue 27-Oct-15 12:01:27

Sheets, plural? Don't any of you use a duvet? It must be over forty-five years since I used two sheets!

stillhere Tue 27-Oct-15 12:39:21

In the summer it gets so hot here that we often sleep with just a sheet over us. Yes, back to duvets now.

LullyDully Tue 27-Oct-15 12:49:27

Good linen should last forever. I would take them back unless I'd bought really cheap ones.

Have an argument if the date is up. Stick to your guns.

Greyduster Tue 27-Oct-15 13:51:39

I don't have linen sheets but I have some American percale sheets and pillowcases we bought from a US commissary when DD was very small. She is now 44, and the sheets are still going strong. They're very smooth and cool and the best i've had. Better than John Lewis, and I really rate their bed linen. If I were buying linen, I'd expect it to last a lot longer than fifteen months, even using them every other week.

TriciaF Tue 27-Oct-15 14:06:21

Linen sheets? how do you launder them? Linen is so difficult to iron, we have some linen table napkins and that's enough linen for me.
We have some M&S polycotton sheets and pillowcases which husband bought in the early 70s, in regular use and no sign of wear.

Icyalittle Tue 27-Oct-15 14:25:06

Definitely take them back and complain, or email them - I gave found their Customer Service good in the past.
Why not two sheets feetlebaum ? I always use 2 plus the duvet in a cover, I like to iron the sheet but too lazy to iron a duvet cover.

Icyalittle Tue 27-Oct-15 14:26:24

'have', not 'gave'. Stupid lack of proofreading autocorrect.

feetlebaum Tue 27-Oct-15 14:42:48

Icyalittle - Using a top sheet plus a duvet negates the effectiveness of the duvet!

A sheet,, tucked in on either side, with a body under it guarantees a sort of 'ridge tent' affair, with a nice draughty channel down either side of the body. The duvet, however, is designed to wrap around the body, eliminating the gaps. Much cosier!

I wonder if this is a British thing, using a top sheet AND a duvet?

Ana Tue 27-Oct-15 14:46:22

A friend of mine used to do that, telling me smugly that it saved changing the duvet cover so often! confused

NudeJude Tue 27-Oct-15 14:57:02

hildajenniJ sorry, I misunderstood what you meant. I only use a bottom sheet and duvet, so no, not top to bottom.

Thanks for all the comments ladies, I didn't think I was being unrealistic to expect a sheet that I paid £40 for to last longer than 15 months.

I contacted Soak & Sleep about it via email on Friday and got a response yesterday which stated that because the sheet is over 12 months old they will only offer me a 10% refund, which I'm really not happy with.

Keep the comments coming people, than I can go back to them and prove that I'm not being unreasonable in expecting the sheet to last longer. I also invested in two further linen sheets which I'm currently using as curtains, and planned on putting to use as bedding when I get tired of the look, but I don't think I'll be doing that now!

Charleygirl Tue 27-Oct-15 15:50:52

I am with TriciaFpoly cotton sheets are fine for me. I would have mega problems getting linen or even cotton sheets dry in winter and ironing? No thank you.

NudeJude Tue 27-Oct-15 15:57:14

It's funny you know, I actually find the linen sheets easier to iron than the 100% cotton ones that I have. Also, they do of course begin to wrinkle the minute you put them on the bed, but are just SO comfortable to sleep in, and as I like the 'Shabby Chic' look I don't worry too much, although I do like to see them freshly ironed when I first re-make the bed.